The Nigerian Community in Côte d’Ivoire has said that about 2,000 underage Nigerian girls trafficked to the West African country for prostitution have been repatriated over the past three years.

The Public Relations Officer of the community, Davidson Ogbu, disclosed this while speaking on Arise Television on Friday, where he addressed the rising incidents of human trafficking involving Nigerian minors.

Ogbu said the recent murder of a Nigerian girl identified as Destiny, from Delta State, who was trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire for prostitution, had drawn renewed attention to the crisis.

“The tragic murder of Destiny, a Nigerian girl from Delta State who was trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire for prostitution, has sent shockwaves across the nation,” Ogbu said.

According to him, despite efforts to combat the illegal trade, traffickers continue to exploit vulnerable young girls.

“We have been doing all we can to stop them, but they keep coming. There’s no way you can stop it,” he said.

Ogbu explained that the community, in collaboration with relevant Nigerian and Ivorian authorities, had repatriated between 1,500 and 2,000 girls below the age of 16.

“Over the past three years, we’ve successfully repatriated approximately 1,500 to 2,000 underage girls who were victims of human trafficking from Nigeria to Côte d’Ivoire,” he stated.

He described the situation as distressing, noting that the ages of some victims were as low as 10.

“Underage girls. I’m talking about girls below 16 years of age. We have even seen 14, 12, and, quite heartbreaking, 10 years being trafficked into Côte d’Ivoire for the same purpose,” Ogbu said.

He called for stronger collaboration between the Nigerian and Ivorian governments to dismantle trafficking networks and enhance rehabilitation support for rescued victims.